Pokemon | The Verge

Pokémon Champions is off to a rough start

2026-04-10T15:15:08-04:00

You first, dude. | Image: The Pokémon Company, Nintendo

Like many live-service games before it, Pokémon Champions' launch has been messy. The free-to-start battle sim, which is out now on the Switch and Switch 2 (and also coming to mobile later this year), is plagued with bugs, some of which cause issues with basic battle mechanics - not great for a game that's only about battling. But bugs can be fixed, and encouragingly, some of them already have been. Champions' bigger problem is that, in trying to be a competitive battling platform for all kinds of players, it risks satisfying none of them.

Coming hot on the heels of Pokopia, a creative and cozy spinoff with no battling whatsoever, Champions …

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Pokémon Champions is coming to the Nintendo Switch on April 8th

2026-03-24T16:33:47-04:00

Right now, Pokopia has everyone busy building houses and beautifying the world, but next month, we'll be making our pocket monster friends fight for sport in Pokémon Champions.

Today, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company announced that Pokémon Champions is set to make its debut on the Nintendo Switch family of consoles on April 8th before the mobile phone version of the game releases sometime later this year. People playing the game on the Nintendo Switch 2 will also receive a free update on April 8th that improves the game's graphical quality. In addition to the new launch date, Nintendo also dropped a new trailer that showcases new footage an …

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Pokopia Pokédex review: a classic, reimagined

2026-03-10T15:00:24-04:00

Thirty years ago, Nintendo struck gold with the release of the original Pokémon games. Soon, kids across the world were introduced to dozens of magical creatures that they could befriend and learn more about using sophisticated electronic encyclopedias known as Pokédexes. The first Pokédexes were reflections of how the Pokémon world was shaped by advanced technology. And with each subsequent generation, Pokédexes evolved; by 2019 they stopped being dedicated devices and became applications on phones powered by disembodied spirits. Rotom Phones could do more things than their predecessors, but many players have continued to think of the handh …

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Pokopia made me look at Pokémon’s high-tech future in a whole new way

2026-03-05T15:15:39-05:00

Pokémon Pokopia features, of all things, a 3D printer. I wasn't sure why this surprised me so much, given all the other high-tech gear in pretty much every Pokémon game. But I was not expecting to find, inside the once-crumbling Pokémon Center I'd just worked hard to restore, a kind of machine I'd never seen before.

Until Pokopia, I hadn't spent much time thinking about tech in the Pokémon world. I've been Pokémon-pilled for so long that I took all its sci-fi technology for granted. Sure, there are magic PCs that can digitally store living creatures - that's how it's always been. Obviously fossils can be resurrected and obviously sometimes …

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We played Pokémon Pokopia, ask us anything

2026-03-04T10:03:16-05:00

Pokémon's 30th anniversary is here and Nintendo (and The Pokémon Company, Game Freak, and Omega Force) are kicking things off with a surprisingly excellent life simulation spinoff game. Pokémon Pokopia arrives on March 5th, and it's one of the first Pokémon titles that will debut exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2. Equal parts Animal Crossing, Minecraft, and Dragon Quest Builders, Pokopia reimagines the Pokémon world as a massive, human-free paradise that you can rebuild however you want. Pokopia easily could have been a straightforward game about making friends and crafting neighborhoods. But as our review discusses, Pokopia's a much bigg …

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Pokémon Pokopia is an expansive adventure disguised as a cozy life sim

2026-03-06T12:03:15-05:00

Nintendo has a history of fleshing out the larger Pokémon world through spinoffs. What games from the Pokémon Snap and Detective Pikachu series lacked in terms of action, they made up for in the way they made pokémon feel like creatures with rich lives outside of their relationships with trainers. And as the mainline series has evolved over the years, games like Legends: Z-A have begun putting more emphasis on the idea that pokémon might be better off if humans kept their distance.

Pokémon spinoffs have also tended to be relatively boxed-in, both in terms of how much space there is for you to play in and the way their stories are so self-co …

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Pokémon Winds and Waves launch on the Switch 2 in 2027

2026-02-27T13:02:22-05:00

It's time to say goodbye to the Paldea region because a new generation of mainline Pokémon games are on the way.

During today's big Pokémon Presents stream, Nintendo announced that Pokémon Winds and Waves are the next installments in the core game series. The games will launch in 2027 and are exclusive for the Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo also shared a trailer showcasing a new trio of starter pokémon - Browt, Pombon, and Gecua - and a number of different environments you'll be able to explore as you play through the games.

In addition to establishing that Winds and Waves takes place in an island setting, the trailer really highlights how mu …

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Pokémon Presents 2026: All the news and trailers

2026-02-27T09:33:14-05:00

It’s that time of year: A whole bunch of Pokémon news is incoming. February 27th is the date the franchise first debuted, and The Pokémon Company uses it as a chance to outline its plans in a Pokémon Presents showcase. Last year’s event included the announcement of Pokémon Champions, and the 2026 edition should be particularly big, as this year represents the franchise’s 30th anniversary.

TPCi says simply that it will feature “the latest news and updates from the world of Pokémon,” without getting into any specifics. But there’s a good chance we’ll hear about the next mainline entry in the series, given that Scarlet and Violet launched back in 2022. Personally, I’m hoping for an unexpected spinoff along the lines of Pokémon Sleep.

One thing we do know is that after the show ends, both Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are getting a re-release on the Switch.

The showcase airs at 9AM ET, and you can keep up with the most important news right here.

Nintendo’s next big Pokémon presentation is on February 27th

2026-02-20T09:25:52-05:00

Pokémon Day is always a big deal for Nintendo fans, but with this year being the franchise's 30th anniversary, the next Pokémon Presents stream is likely to bring the heat when it begins on February 27th at 9AM ET. With Pokémon Legends: Z-A behind us and Pokémon Pokopia right around the corner, chances are high that we're finally going to get some new information about the franchise's next mainline game. But there's also a chance that we'll see more from Pokémon Champions and hear about updates for other spin-off games like Pokémon Unite, TCG Pocket, and Pokémon Sleep.

In addition to announcing the next Presents stream, Nintendo also reveal …

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Pokopia turns the Pokémon world into a relaxing, human-free paradise

2026-02-11T09:02:36-05:00

Though catching monsters and making them fight have always been core elements of the Pokémon brand, spinoffs like the Pokémon Snap and Detective Pikachu series have stood out by approaching the franchise from different angles. In different (and often small) ways, recent mainline Pokémon titles like Sword / Shield, Scarlet / Violet, and Legends: Z-A have acknowledged that there are some players who would much rather spend their time hanging out and taking pictures with their monster friends.

That leisurely approach to enjoying the Pokémon world doesn't exactly gel with the main games' focus on becoming a competitive champion, but it is exact …

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